Peyton’s Not Perfect

The world is used to Peyton Manning being one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks every season. His rookie season (in 1998) is the only time that he has ever thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. He has been the epitome of consistency throughout his NFL tenure, which is probably why he seems to be getting somewhat of a pass (no pun intended) from the media during his recent struggles.

While some of the factors that have lead to 11 interceptions in the past three games are beyond his control, the fact of the matter is that Peyton Manning is human, and he has been playing poorly lately. How else do you explain having 4 interceptions returned for touchdowns in the past two games? And though the Colts offense is dealing with injuries to starters, so are the offenses of many other teams in the league.

Clearly, if this were any other quarterback (aside from possibly Tom Brady) the media would not be as kind as they have been to Manning. It seems that the focus is more on Indianapolis’ lack of a running game and injuries to key offensive players than it is on the fact that Peyton Manning is not perfect, and he is doing things that are contributing to the Colts’ three-game losing streak.

If Brett Favre had the exact same statistics that Peyton Manning has over the past three games, the media would be lambasting him for his carelessness with the ball. I doubt that there would be one article written about the fact that Favre hasn’t been playing with his regular receivers all season. The focus would more likely be on the fact that he didn’t come to training camp.

The bottom line is that quarterbacks get the glory when their team is winning. Peyton Manning has surely enjoyed the praise that has been heaped on him throughout the course of his NFL career. They also get the blame when their team is losing. It may not be fair, but it is reality.

How many more interceptions will Manning be allowed to throw before the media stops making excuses for him? How many more games do the Colts have to lose before people realize that there is a good chance that the magic may have run out, and that they may be watching the playoffs from their respective living rooms this year?

After yesterday’s collapse, the Colts are only 2 games better than the Cowboys (whose season cannot be characterized as anything other than a colossal failure). If Roy Williams was able to tuck the ball away on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys’ record would only be one game worse than the Colts.

Despite his incredible talent, the fact of the matter is that Peyton Manning is not performing up to the very high standards that he has set for himself. As a result, the Colts’ chances of missing the playoffs all together are increasing by the week.

It’s time to stop making excuses for Peyton Manning. As Bill Parcells has famously stated…”you are what you are.” Simply stated, Peyton Manning is a struggling quarterback who deserves his fair share of the blame for the Colts’ disappointing season.